Room of the Week is BACK! I had been waiting for something like a catalyst to inspire a DFS post, and while reading one of my favorite new designer blogs, belonging to MARK SIKES, I got a nice lift from his recent BILL BLASS post, featuring this astonishing FRANCESCO SCAVULLO portrait of the ever fabulous, always young, GLORIA VANDERBILT. While I have never had the privilege of being in the same room or even seeing GV, I did know the late Ron Grimaldi, who helped GV with some of her decorating. I was told that she once paid something like $16,000.00 for one antique textile pillow. I also have never managed to meet her son, Anderson, who is always on television. However, my old friend Marcy has a sister who married into the Cecil family, who still own the Biltmore estate in Asheville, NC. Marcy was recently featured in HOUSE, on New York Social Diary. She is a fab lady and we attended classes together back in the good old eighties, under the tutelage of luminaries such as the late STANLEY BARROWS, who was the chairman of our interior design department at FIT. Also, BILL BLASS was our speaker at our graduation ceremony, and oh my what an inspiring speech he gave. May he rest in peace. The classical opulence displayed in this room, where GV stands, dressed by BLASS, is so beautiful and so classic, it will always be in style. I hope it will inspire you as it did me! DF *****
